Australians, don't give in.

Senator Annings' first speech in parliament is a worrying sign of misplaced fear, giving extremists exactly what they want. His comments are not only factually wrong, but further promote bigotry, racism and division within society. Terrorism is a real danger, but terrorist activities in Australia are very rare. The minority of so-called Muslims who vilify Islam for personal or political gains want exactly this – to fill us with fear, hate and anger. Muslims have been living in Australia since before federation, SE Asian Muslims traded with Indigenous people as far back as the 1600s. From then until now, Muslims have contributed to the growth, development and prosperity of Australia. Without them, we would not be where we are now. As an Ahmadi Muslim, our community strongly promotes tolerance, unity and acceptability for people of all faiths and backgrounds. There is no place for division or hatred in Australia. It’s time for political leadership to acknowledge any form of hate speech inciting racial discrimination has not place in our society.